The present invention relates generally to automotive vehicles, and more particularly to, a powered sliding door system for opening and closing a sliding door of an automotive vehicle.
In the past, several automatic or powered sliding door systems have been developed. An example of one such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,640,050, issued Feb. 3, 1987, by inventors Yamagishi et al. The patented system includes wires attached to a sliding door of a vehicle and a guide affixed to a body of the vehicle so as to guide the wires in a generally closed loop path. The patented system also includes a winding drum, around which the wires are wound, mounted to the body and rotatable in either direction to send the wires along the guide. A driving motor is mounted to the body and operatively connected to the winding drum through a speed reducer and an electromagnetic clutch to move the wires for opening and closing the sliding door.
One disadvantage of the above patented system is that a complex arrangement of guides are needed to guide the wires in a closed loop path. Another disadvantage is that a winding drum is required to move the wires along the guides. Both result in added cost of the system and installation time.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved and safe to use powered sliding door system for an automotive vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a powered sliding door system having a simpler arrangement than known systems, requiring fewer parts, less cost and reduced installation time.
To achieve the foregoing objects, the present invention utilizes a semi-rigid cable adapted to be affixed to a sliding door of a vehicle and to extend longitudinally thereof. The system also includes electromagnetic clutch means operatively cooperating with the cable and driving means mounted to a body of the vehicle and operatively connected to the electromagnetic clutch means for rotating the electromagnetic clutch means to move the cable longitudinally for opening and closing the sliding door.
One advantage of the present invention is that the cable is moved in a linear manner generally parallel with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, eliminating the need for extensive guides and winding drums. Another advantage of the present invention is that the sliding door may be manually operated or moved between open and closed positions if desired. Numerous safety features are also provided. One safety feature is that the logic of the system detects a reduction of speed in the sliding door for the entire travel of the door and disconnects the drive motor to prevent objects from being sandwiched by the door.
Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood after reading the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.